Standard pen designs can be modified to convey information such as advertising messages. In the past, these advertising messages have been conveyed visually, on the barrel of the pen. This technique, however, suffers from a number of disadvantages. First, any message written on the barrel of the pen is obscured by a user's hand during operation. Therefore, the message is not conveyed to the user during this time. Secondly, the medium is entirely passive. That is, the user only will receive the advertising message if he/she actively undertakes to read the message. Thirdly, the medium lacks any novelty. The public has become so familiar with this type of advertising that it is naturally ignored. Therefore, conventional techniques for incorporating an advertising message into pens are inadequate.
A solution to some of the above-identified problems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,577 to Abernethy. Here, an advertising device is attached to a push-button of a pen. The advertising device includes a number of planar faces on which advertising indicia may be affixed. Although this invention moves the advertising message off the pen barrel and additionally provides a certain degree of novelty, the invention destroys the balancing of the pen while increasing the pen's overall length and width. Further, the advertising device is easily detachable by a user who simply might not want to deal with the lack of convenience associated with the advertising device.